Good Energy completes UK’s first ‘three-phase’ smart meter installation
The installation paves the way for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses with high volume and complex electricity usage to join the clean, green smart revolution
Britain’s first ever SMETS2 ‘three-phase’ smart meter was installed yesterday, Tuesday 4th August 2020, at a property in Gloucestershire, marking a significant milestone for the country’s transition to a smarter, greener energy system.
The long-awaited device — which will finally provide homes and businesses on a ‘three-phase’ electricity supply with the option of a smart meter — was installed by meter asset provider SMS plc at the home of Good Energy customer and Smart Programme Manager Emmanuel Obubuafo.
Three-phase meters are common for sites which need to accommodate higher loads of electricity, and/or are more complex in their usage, such as on-site generation or storage. Many industrial and commercial sites have three-phase connections, as do smaller businesses and households such as Emmanuel’s — his property has a significant 12kW solar power array, electrified heating and he drives an electric vehicle.
Until now these types of customers have not been able to take advantage of interoperable smart metering. This development makes second generation SMETS2 smart metering a possibility for hundreds of thousands of customers who will be a crucial part of a future distributive clean electricity system in which businesses and households are able to use, generate and share their own clean power.
Emmanuel said: “I am all in on the clean, green electricity revolution. I generate my own power, sharing what I don’t use back to the grid, and what I haven’t generated myself I buy from a genuine renewable supplier in Good Energy. I even use clean electricity to heat my home and to charge my car, so I’m avoiding fossil fuels as far as I possibly can.
“This special smart meter means I can keep close track of what I’m using, and it opens up the possibility of smarter sharing of what I generate in future.”
Juliet Davenport, CEO and Founder, Good Energy said: “The energy system of the future is one in which customers don’t buy power from suppliers like us. They generate, share and store clean power. To build that future, high energy load and complex grid connections have to be smart.
“Like many Good Energy customers, Emmanuel is way ahead on his zero carbon journey. It is brilliant to be leading the way with this big milestone on the road to a cleaner, greener future.”
Tim Mortlock, COO of SMS plc, said: “We’re really proud to have played such a central role in bringing the polyphase SMETS2 meter to the UK market, and to have carried out its first ever installation for our client Good Energy at the property of their consumer.
“This long-awaited solution is a real landmark for the smart energy revolution and the UK’s wider low-carbon transition, providing access to a previously untapped smart meter market, as well as giving larger energy consumers a choice between smart and advanced meter technologies.”
Robert Cheesewright, Director of Communications at Smart Energy GB, added: “The introduction of polyphase SMETS2 smart meters means that many more people will be able to benefit from an end to estimated bills and can take part in the much-needed upgrade to our energy system. Smart meters are the building blocks of a cleaner, greener energy system that will help the country to integrate renewable energy sources and make efficient use of electric vehicles and green heating technologies.”